Becoming a Social worker...

[Butterfly Child]

I was wondering if there was anyone on bb who is a SW or know someone who is??
wat do you enjoy most about it?
any other info you want to add?
wat about the negatives?
im trying to decide if i should study this next year ive looked it up on the net but i just need a first hand opinion on it and info Iykwim !

[Mother Goose]

worked with loads over the years. what do you want to know?

[Ahurani]

i love social workers

their job is very valuable

[lilima]

I am a social worker. There is a lot of different jobs yo ucan do. I am a case manager.
It is all community work. so don't expect to earn much money.

[Butterfly Child]

Thx guys,
i just want to know if im cut out to do it if u know what i mean.
what has inspired me to look into it was actually awhile ago when my bub was a few weeks old, the lady was an amazing support and yeh it just kind of got me thinking iykwim.

lilima- do you enjoy what you do, what exactly does a case manager entail?
what course did you study etc, thx so much for your help

Mother Goose- yeh ive seen a few too their great support i thought id love to be able to be that for someone to you know

[BrightSparkles]

I'm a youth worker as a case manager...so similar industry and i LOVE it...although not so much the money... but then i never went into the welfare industry for the money.
I love meeting new people and knowing that i've had an impact and been able to help them make positive changes in thier lives.
The downside is, that it can be at times very stressful and there are some days i come home and just want to sleep (and sometimes have a VERY strong drink ) Funny that... we help people with this kinda stuff and sometimes we joke the job leads us to do just that LOL
But seriously, I LOVE my job and wouldn't change it for the world!

[Lolli]

Hi hun, I have three quarters of a uni social work degree. I loved the study, and the theory, but when I had to do work placement I had a few bad experiences and found it quite difficult, frustrating and upsetting. So i quit.

There's a four year uni course, but there are also TAFE certificates in youth work and community work.

[Butterfly Child]

Ohh sunshine, thx so much on your reply, no im exactly the same the money side of things doesnt bother me that much i wana go for it because id really love it and am passionate about helping others, i just keep thinking and hoping i can cut it you know?

Do you mind if i ask you a few other questions?

-what kind of study did you do to get into it?
-what inspired you to work with the youth?
- what would you do in a typical day at work?

i hope you dont mind im just really interested an want to no everything i can

[BrightSparkles]

Ohh sunshine, thx so much on your reply, no im exactly the same the money side of things doesnt bother me that much i wana go for it because id really love it and am passionate about helping others, i just keep thinking and hoping i can cut it you know?

Do you mind if i ask you a few other questions?

-what kind of study did you do to get into it?
-what inspired you to work with the youth?
- what would you do in a typical day at work?

i hope you dont mind im just really interested an want to no everything i can

Don't mind at all. Will PM more details.

[*Ash*]

Hi Emma.

I have a social work degree.This comprised 4 years of university study,including 3 work experience placements.A social work degree equips you to work in a variety of government and non-government settings,including hospitals, community centres, family support services,Centrelink,DoCs, gaols, legal system.

A job in a community setting will generally be of a lower wage than a job in a government department or government agency. I have always worked in community settings,such as family support services and community legal centres. I have predominantly worked in the area of family (domestic) violence.

I have always found my work to be worthwhile. I have worked with some amazing colleagues and have met some truly inspiring clients. Certainly the work can be heart-wrenching at times. Debriefing and professional support is vital to help social workers deal with the sometimes traumatic and difficult situations that they encounter.

Most social workers would also have access to ongoing training and professional development.

I hope this info is useful.

[Nelle]

I was mostly through my youth work degree before dropping out to have a baby (I still can't decide which is easier). I worked part time for a bit too when I was quite young (was probably the most undisciplined worker ever, although I was helpful at times - I like to think I've grown up a bit now...)

Depending on where you work, you'll need to be pretty self motivated, a lot of the time you decide what happens and then just report to someone. There's all the usual stress of dealing with people - they're not a constant, they're a variable, who can change their minds or act however they do differently every day - especially so for youth, mental illness and drug and alcohol. Given that resources are stretched, by the time people get to you, things are often pretty full on.

There are a few uni degrees around, and also many great social workers do a cert at TAFE - a lot of it is networking, common sense and experience. If you can volunteer or do work experience somewhere I'd recommend it.

As for what I enjoyed, it's great seeing people acquire new skills - a job or house, they might stuff up, but if you teach them to cook or how to write a resume or get an outfit together for an interview - that stuff sticks with them.

[Butterfly Child]

Wow thanks so much for those replies

Nelle- thx so much for you advise, i definently think this is the career i am after, im a passionate person and love helping others, ill definently try volunteering and maby start a tafe course to start with then do the uni course i think im so interested and excited to start learning!

Aliash- Can you tell me more about the course you did and how you found it? Thank you so much for your help xx

LoriRae-Thats not gd hun , Can i ask what happend to make you quit? Thx so much for your help beautful

[*Ash*]

Emma, I did a Bachelor of Social Work at the Uni of NSW.

I seem to recall that you are on the North Coast. Is that right? There is a Bachelor of Social Sciences at Southern Cross Lismore campus. This degree is similar to a Social Work degree. Or there are a range of community services diplomas and certificates at TAFE.

It really depends on the type of job that you want to do or the area that you want to work in. I chose to do the Bachelor of Social Work because there are specific jobs that only Social Workers can apply for. People can refer to themselves as 'social workers', or 'social welfare workers' or 'community workers', etc. but there are some jobs that request a Social Worker (ie. graduate of the 4 year bachelor degree). I hope that makes sense?

Depending on your interests, you may not need to do the 4 year Social Work degree. I am glad that I did it. I have never actually applied for a job that asked specifically for a social worker though. These type of jobs are likely to be in government agencies, eg. DoCs, Centrelink, Health Dept. I have always worked in the community sector.

Do you know what area you would like to work in? I recommend checking out the website of the Australian Association of Social Workers AASW - Australian Association of Social Workers and click on 'careers'

Hope that helps

[Lolli]

Emma, it was a mix of things- I really didn't get on with my supervisor, and I saw some people being quite violent towards themselves, their partners and their kids, which I couldn't distance myself from emotionally. There was a lack of debreifing in the agency I worked for, which didn't help.

I also found it quite frustrating, not being able to do a lot of things that needed doing because of beaucratical red tape. And it seemed like a lot of money was being spent to do not much at all.

I think I knew deep down that it wasn't the career for me about six months into my degree, but I was under a lot of pressure from my family to continue at uni. I have a lot of respect fpr people ho are social workers (and think they are grossly underpaid and often undervalued) but it wasn't for me.

[Butterfly Child]

i just wana thank everyone again on your help!!!!!

ive been doing alot of research and im going to be ringing a few uni's tomorow, i think i want to do the bachelor of social work externally. for the first year or two anyway as it will work out alot better with family commitments etc

Aliash- thx so much for all the info you have given me especially the Australian Association of Social Workers i had a look at that other course, the Bachelor of Social Sciences at Southern Cross Lismore campus, but i think the bachelor of social work fits better with me xx

[*Ash*]

Hi Emma,

How did you go with your research of uni's? I know that the Uni of New England (Armidale) has recently begun teaching the Bachelor of Social Work by distance education. I'm sure that you have probably already discovered that, but I just wanted to add that New England has a good reputation. I did some external study there a few years back (not social work) and found the teaching and materials to be of a high standard.

take care

[Butterfly Child]

hey Aliash, yeh i definently think that the Uni of New England is the one im going to try to apply for, this is prob a silly question but ive looked zround online but i cant find whether im eligible, i passed my hsx did reasonably well but didnt really get the best uai, is it hard to het into im rngin them this afternoon //tomorow but just wanted to know beforehand IYKWIM , thanks so much for ur help xx